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Should I be worry as I just notice my bun can't jump up to the top of carpet tunnel?

Happy Hopping

Wise Old Thumper
The carpet tunnel is 20 in. tall. She struggles from that single hop, and fall back down. The other bun can jump up just fine. And she makes no further effort to jump up, eventhough good bunny treat is offered to her

She is just over 8 yr. old. But last Sunday, she doesn't seen to have any problem jumping up to the top of this same carpet tunnel.

Everything else is normal, from diet to running around to hopping up the stairs
 
Some bunnies just don't seem so agile as others, I've had wildie cross bunnies who could jump 4ft without any issues, but Boots is much more sedate, and prefers steps to climb rather than doing really big jumps, but that could also be because his eyesight isn't the best. If you are worried or if this is new behaviour I would get your bun checked over at the vets.
 
I agree. Its possible at her age she has something like arthritis which can affect their jumps etc.

But, I've got one bunny who will very happily jump 4ft, the other can hardly manage 2ft and would prefer to be picked up.
 
The carpet tunnel is 20 in. tall. She struggles from that single hop, and fall back down. The other bun can jump up just fine. And she makes no further effort to jump up, eventhough good bunny treat is offered to her

She is just over 8 yr. old. But last Sunday, she doesn't seen to have any problem jumping up to the top of this same carpet tunnel.

Everything else is normal, from diet to running around to hopping up the stairs

I am usually concerned if it's something a rabbit usually does, but refuses to now. If they were never able to do it, there may be other reasons why they choose not to.
 
I agree. Its possible at her age she has something like arthritis which can affect their jumps etc.

But, I've got one bunny who will very happily jump 4ft, the other can hardly manage 2ft and would prefer to be picked up.

I agree with Zoobec too. As it's a change in normal (for your Rabbit) mobility it could be indicative of an arthritic problem. Or she may even have pulled a muscle in her back the last time she jumped up and when she tried again the injury still hurt. So now she knows not to try.

Rabbits who have failing eyesight can find that it becomes difficult to judge heights and distances. So jumping up onto/down from things they previously managed easily can occur.
 
so what are the signs of arthritis ? if that's the reason

Changes in mobility
Other more subtle changes in behaviour- eg resting in 'unusual' places, being grumpy/aggressive or unusually passive.
Less efficient at self grooming/keeping themselves clean
Or obsessive grooming type behaviour
Licking things
Loss of Litter tray habits
Reduction in appetite/poo output
Unexplained weightloss
Loss of muscle mass/tone

And that's just a few of them !! You know how complicated Rabbits can be Jason !! A thorough Vet check may shed some light on what is going on. It could be just a transient thing but it's impossible to say without examining the Rabbit.
 
so what are the signs of arthritis ? if that's the reason

The main signs of arthritis/losing mobility I find in my rabbits is not being able to groom themselves easily. Also, peeing on themselves and not using the litter tray as they normally would ..

You could ask the vet to prescribe some Metacam and see whether that makes any difference?
 
well, she licks her own fur just fine. No sign of peeing on themselves. How exactly does a rabbit pee on themselves anyway? And she still use her urine / poo spots 95% of the time. There are a few pieces that I pick up. But that's normal, as the spot that I pick up is the hay tray that they both pee on after they eat the hay, they have been doing that for years, and so does other rabbits.

When you said they pee themselves, you mean like they don't go to the urine spot and just leak?
 
well, she licks her own fur just fine. No sign of peeing on themselves. How exactly does a rabbit pee on themselves anyway? And she still use her urine / poo spots 95% of the time. There are a few pieces that I pick up. But that's normal, as the spot that I pick up is the hay tray that they both pee on after they eat the hay, they have been doing that for years, and so does other rabbits.

When you said they pee themselves, you mean like they don't go to the urine spot and just leak?

If a Rabbit has arthritis in their hips/spine they may not be able to adopt the correct position to wee, so some urine can get onto their hind legs/belly.
In some cases a Rabbit with arthritis may develop urinary incontinence -ie leaking wee due to a secondary problem with cystitis triggered by bladder sludge. In less mobile Rabbits calcium deposits can accumulate in the bladder and eventually this can irritate the bladder wall causing inflammation and possibly infection.

From what you have said about your Rabbit it does not appear to be a serious problem. But in order to establish if there is a problem at all an examination by a Vet is needed x
 
well, she licks her own fur just fine. No sign of peeing on themselves. How exactly does a rabbit pee on themselves anyway? And she still use her urine / poo spots 95% of the time. There are a few pieces that I pick up. But that's normal, as the spot that I pick up is the hay tray that they both pee on after they eat the hay, they have been doing that for years, and so does other rabbits.

When you said they pee themselves, you mean like they don't go to the urine spot and just leak?

What I meant by saying a rabbit can pee on themselves, is that they are not sufficiently mobile to raise their tail and adopt the posture to wee without it dribbling down their leg and making the fur wet and the skin eventually sore.

Also, in rabbits with arthritis, they can accumulate calcium deposits in their urine, which will cause them to dribble urine rather than pass normally in a litter tray.
 
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